1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to regeneration control technology in an electric power-assisted vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
There are electric power-assisted vehicles, such as electric bicycles assisted by battery power, which have sensors provided on brake levers. The sensors respond to the usage of the brakes by the rider in order to enable regeneration operation of the motor. This stores the kinetic energy of the vehicle into the battery, and improves the travel distance of the vehicle.
Bicycles do not have engine brakes like automobiles and motorcycles do, resulting in a sense of danger when descending long downward slopes at a high speed. With bicycles, the speed must be controlled through operation of the brakes. However, there are problems such as this kind of braking operation being bothersome for the rider, and also hand fatigue occurring due to prolonged braking operation.
There is technology that automatically performs regenerative braking according to pre-determined configurations in electric power-assisted vehicles such as in electric bicycles, but these pre-determined configurations do not necessarily reflect the intentions of the rider. In other words, the speed at which a rider feels comfortable going down a long slope varies depending on road width, weather conditions, the physical health of the rider, and the like. Accordingly, depending on the rider, there may be a deceleration that is excessive enough to cause panic, or conversely an insufficient deceleration that causes the rider to feel danger.